Household of Three
by Kimberly T
Summary: The story of Lexington, Rebecca and Robert’s honeymoon, taking place in the middle of “Mating Games 11: Changing the Rules”. As Goliath said at this new Trio’s mating ceremony, such arrangements are full of challenges… as well as delights. 43.5 intheserie


**LIFE GOES ON**

_**Household of Three**_

By K.T. (email: kimbertow AT yahoo etc.)

_Author's note: This, the story of Lexington, Rebecca and Robert's honeymoon, takes place in the middle of "Mating Games 11: Changing the Rules". Most of the explicit sex has been taken out to conform with ffnet's rules prohibiting explicit content... but there's still plenty to read about._

_The literal translation of the French phrase "ménage à trois" is "household of three." As Goliath said at this new Trio's mating ceremony, such arrangements are full of challenges… as well as delights._

Two hours ago, Lexington of the Manhattan Clan and Rebecca of the New Orleans Clan had been engaged solely to each other, while Rebecca fervently hoped to take her beloved rookery brother Robert with her to Manhattan, in hopes that the homosexual gargoyle would find a mate and happiness there.

Just over one hour ago, Rebecca had walked in on Lexington and Robert in a passionate embrace, and discovered that her fiancé was bisexual; a fact that he hadn't deliberately kept hidden from her, but hadn't mentioned because he'd thought it wasn't really important… until he'd fallen in love with Robert.

Just over half an hour ago, with her clan threatening to banish Robert for having 'corrupted' Lexington and Robert looking like he wanted to die, Goliath had stepped in. He'd asked Rebecca if she'd be willing to formally share Lex's affections with Robert, in a three-way mating. Knowing that if she didn't say 'yes' her beloved Robert would probably banish himself in self-loathing despair and commit suicide at dawn, Rebecca had agreed.

Five minutes ago, they'd just had their mating ceremony. She'd even had a beautiful wedding dress for the ceremony, thanks to her sister Yvette's skills and hard work during the last few weeks. And now, they were inside the honeymoon cottage that Adam had loaned them for the next few nights.

In the last hour Rebecca's world had been snatched up, flipped upside down and spun around a few times, and except for a few moments of sobbing in her sister Isabel's arms, Rebecca had done her best to keep her emotions under control. She'd plastered a smile on her beaked face before the ceremony, and kept it there the whole time. She'd thrown the bouquet afterwards, watched it fall apart in midair, and told herself that had _**not**_ been a symbol for her emotional state _**or**_ for this new relationship's future. She'd kept that smile on as she'd held hands with Lexington and Robert, for their 'mating flight' that had been nothing more than gliding across the lawn to the cottage. She had to be _happy_, dammit; she'd _chosen_ this, it was the only way to keep both Lex and Rob in her life, and she had to be _**happy!**_

Robert was the last one through the door, and closed it firmly behind them. Lexington turned to face them with a smile that mixed equal parts delight, excitement and uncertainty as he said, "So, uh… what happens now? I mean, do you guys want to check the pantries for something to eat first, since we never had dinner, or do we—uh, draw straws for first turn in the bedroom, or, um… there really wasn't any time to think past this point!"

"That's for sure," Robert muttered, glancing back at the closed door. "Well, I think the first thing that needs doing is… this." And with that, he wrapped his arms and wings around Rebecca and murmured, "I'm sorry, Becca. This wasn't fair to you at all, was it?"

And with that, Rebecca could no longer hold back her tears; she fell into Robert's arms and sobbed hard into his shoulder. Behind her, she dimly heard Lexington say "Wha—Rebecca?! Why are you… b-but she was _happy_! I thought she wanted this too!"

"She was _trying_ to be happy," Robert said softly while stroking her mane. "Check the bathroom for some tissues, will you? It's all right, Becca… I understand. Just cry it out…"

Lexington scampered off and came back moments later, and waved a whole box of tissues next to her beak. His face was a mask of worry and dismay as he asked, "Becca… why did you agree to this if you didn't want it?"

"I-I _do_ want it!" she sobbed as she grabbed a fistful of tissues. "I want you both, I _love_ you both, and I want this! I, I just—it all happened _so damn fast_!"

"Way too damn fast," Robert said solemnly. "We should have had _weeks_ to talk this over, instead of rushing headlong into it… why did Goliath suddenly insist on a ceremony tonight?"

"B-because of _you_, you dummy," Rebecca said with exasperated affection, sniffling back more tears as she looked up into Robert's startled eyes. "You (sniff) you were pulling out your tail hairs again! I saw you y-yank out at least two before Goliath stepped in! And-and if he hadn't performed the ceremony, I would have-have dragged you both off to the bayou to elope or something!"

"I don't get it," Lex said with bewilderment on his features. "What's so important about your tail hairs? Not that your tail's not beautiful, but…"

"I … tend to pull the hairs out when I'm… upset," Robert said quietly.

"When you're feeling _suicidal_ again," Rebecca corrected him sternly as she wiped away the last of her tears, then twisted while still in his embrace to look at Lexington, while wrapping her arms over Robert's so he couldn't get away. "Didn't you notice on our hunting trip how fond Robert is of his tail? He's always combing it, even more than his mane; it's why he always carries a comb in his pocket."

"It's just soothing sometimes, okay?" Robert muttered while looking away.

"I know, and I like it when you comb my mane, too," Rebecca assured him, before addressing Lexington again. "He never used to pull the hairs out… until last spring, after Philip died. And then, when he wasn't trying to greet his last sunrise or have a fatal hunting accident—and don't even try to deny it, Rob; you were just waiting for that tourist hunter to shoot you dead! If I hadn't capsized his boat… anyway, Lex, when he wasn't trying to commit suicide, he was pulling his tail hairs out one by one! I finally had to tie his tail up with black ribbons for mourning and tell him that if he disturbed the ribbons in any way by pulling out more hairs, it would be disrespecting Philip's memory." She could tell by the tenseness of Robert's arms under hers that he was extremely uncomfortable with the conversation… but the three of them were mates now, for better or worse, and she figured that they should be honest with Lexington about just how bad 'worse' could get.

Lex looked at Robert somberly as he surmised, "So pulling out your tail hairs is… like that cutting, making themselves bleed, that some humans do when they're severely depressed."

"Yeah, pretty much," Rebecca agreed. "And he was doing it again in the assembly, while Barnabas and those other bigoted assholes were screaming at him and about him." She twisted again to face Robert and grab his equine muzzle as she said fiercely, "And I am _never_ going to let you go off and die somewhere, you hear me? I love you, and I'd be lost without you!"

"I love you too, Becca," Robert said, hugging her, and when she let go of his muzzle, he affectionately rubbed it alongside her beak. "I love you, too…"

"And I love both of you," Lexington said as he wrapped his arms and wings around them both. "And I really want the three of us to be happy together."

The three-way hug lasted for several long moments, and then Lexington said hesitantly, "So, Rebecca… are you feeling better about all this now?"

"Yeah," Rebecca said with a faint smile. She'd just needed to get the upset out of her system, and be held for a while by someone who loved her, to help her spinning world settle down a bit.

"Good." Lexington pulled back with an apologetic smile. "Um, whether or not we uh, do anything else tonight, I really need to get out of this outfit. Yvette did a great job on it, really, but it's not all that comfortable."

"Tuxedos aren't designed to be comfortable," Robert said, while tugging at his own bow tie to loosen it. "Yeah, feel free to shed whatever you want."

Lexington undid his bow tie and collar, then unbuttoned the shirt cuffs at his wrists, crouched down to unbutton the 'trouser' cuffs at his ankles, and finally the sash at his waist. Then he paused. "Um… Yvette didn't sew any boxer shorts to go with this. And my loincloth is back in her dressing room."

Rebecca laughed shakily. "Lex, we're mated now; I'm pretty sure I'm _supposed_ to see you naked!"

"And it's not like I've never seen naked guys before," Robert chuckled.

"Well, it's going to be a little while before I'm actually naked," Lex said with a small grimace as he lifted the jacket sleeve up and off his left arm with his right. "Yvette had to _tape_ this thing to me in a few spots, to get everything to stay in place. And I've got elastic straps rubbing at me in places that definitely don't like the rubbing—not from elastic, anyway!" He continued as he carefully removed more pieces, "It's a cool-looking outfit, and I want to save it for special occasions back in Manhattan; I dunno, maybe we'll be invited to fancy banquets someday, if we gain enough acceptance. But it'll never be for everynight wear!"

Eventually Lexington had all his clothes off, and he grinned self-consciously as he held his web-winged arms out wide. "Um, you like? Not too hard on the eyes, am I?"

Given Lexington's usual attire, they'd already seen most of his body before, but not his groin. While his torso was human-sized, his dick was noticeably larger than the average human's, when compared in her memory to the gay porn magazines that Rebecca had once found in the closet of Philip and Robert's old place. She smiled as she very deliberately looked him up and down before pursing her beak in a long whistle. Next to her, she heard Robert very loudly licking his chops. (She told herself to get used to that.)

And since Lexington was naked, Robert said with a shake of his mane, "Oh, hell, there's no point just standing around fully dressed all night!" And he took off his tuxedo too. First the jacket and shirt, both with button-down slots to fit over his wings, and then the pants that had been designed to fit over his equine legs. He had on a pair of briefs under the pants, but after a momentary pause, he shrugged and took those off as well.

Lexington stared doubtfully at Robert's nether region; he had a penis, but it appeared to be only an inch long; like an extra-large, hot pink button on his blue-tinted groin instead of a sexual member. "Um…"

Robert grinned and flexed his abdomen slightly, and suddenly the rest of his penis slid out of its internal sheath, shooting out to its full length of nearly a foot long. "Looking for this?"

"_Whoa_," was all Lexington could say as he backed up a step and stared goggle-eyed.

Rebecca giggled at Lex's startled expression. "Almost all the feather-winged guys can do that," she explained. "Like the animals that Merlin modeled them after long ago." She tried to focus on Lex, rather than on Robert's impressive dick. She remembered too well the first time she'd seen that organ; the night Robert had tried his best to 'act straight' for her, and how embarrassing that situation had become for both of them. They'd both tried so hard, but…

"Dude, you are literally _hung like a horse_," Lexington marveled… and now that he was over being startled, there was no mistaking the lustful interest in his eyes. Rebecca told herself she'd better get used to that, too.

Robert snorted. "If you think I'm impressive, try to get a glimpse of Adelbert in the shower sometime; his is _massive_. But I'm glad you're happy with it," he said as he grinned and rubbed at his ears in embarrassed pleasure.

And then they both looked expectantly at Rebecca. After a moment's hesitation, she gave a wry smile and held out her arms. "Can I get some help with the buttons on the sleeves? Yvette put on way too many of them…"

Lexington willingly took one sleeve, while Robert took the other, and together they started carefully unfastening buttons. "Why would anyone sew so many buttons on, anyway?" Lexington muttered as he fumbled with another pearl button, one of the many buttons running from wrist to elbow on each sleeve.

"It's a human tradition, I think; making some part of the wedding dress so hard to get out of that the bride has to have help from the groom to undress, as part of their first mating ritual," Robert said with his head bent over her other sleeve.

"Figures. Humans make everything more complicated than it has to be," Lexington grumbled, while Rebecca tried not to giggle at a thought that had struck her; Yvette had done her work a little too well, because she needed _two_ grooms to help her get undressed!

But finally the sleeves were loose enough that she could slip them over her hands, then carefully work her arms free of them. Robert considerately undid the dozens of hooks-and-eyes holding the bodice together behind her back, while Lexington stared appreciatively at the breasts that were slowly revealed as the bodice fell away. "Rebecca, you are beautiful!"

"You really mean that?" she asked shyly, as Robert undid the last hook and the dress fell away, sliding down to pool around her feet. She knew too well that her sisters were more buxom than she was; she sometimes felt like a hatchling or a scrawny male in comparison to Yvette.

For an answer, Lex gave a long, low wolf whistle, while Robert kissed her shoulder from behind and murmured, "I told you before, you're beautiful. You've got just enough of everything, so far as hetero guys are concerned. Hetero or bi, I mean," he corrected himself with a smile at Lexington.

"It's okay; I know it's something that takes some time to get used to," Lexington said with a grin. "So, now that we're all in our hatchday suits…"

They all looked as one at the door to the bedroom nearby. "So… I guess the thing to do is take turns," Rebecca said hesitantly. "Um, Rob, you wanna flip a coin or something?"

"Ladies first," Robert said firmly. "That's only fair; you two were engaged to each other first. Go ahead, and I'll just find something out here to occupy myself with," he said as he picked up his discarded tuxedo and the dress that Rebecca had stepped out of.

When they hesitated, he rubbed first Rebecca's brow ridges, then Lexington's ridges with affectionate brushes of his knuckles, and gave them both kisses on their cheeks. "Really, I want you two to go enjoy yourselves. Make this Becca's special night, Lex; she deserves it. And, speaking as the only member of the trio with any real prior experience, I'm telling you both: Take it slow, and ask each other what you like and don't like; what feels good and what you're not ready for yet. You have all night, even the rest of your—_our_ lives together. Take it slow."

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

Once they were in the bedroom, holding hands, with the door closed behind them, Rebecca couldn't help giggling nervously. "So, uh… you ever done this before?" Then silently berated herself for asking such a stupid question.

But Lexington didn't seem to mind. "Only with my own hands," he said honestly. Then he added with a grin, "But I'm pretty sure I know what goes where. I don't know about your clan, but in my old clan, gargoyles flew their mating flights right in front of everybody! So I've seen it done by couples in midair, and doing it on the ground just _has_ to be easier; we don't have to worry about staying airborne while doing it. And then… well, humans aren't built _too_ differently, and they make a lot of porn magazines and films and such; you can find the stuff pretty much all over Manhattan."

"Yeah, they have a lot of that in New Orleans, too," Rebecca admitted with a blush. And not just porn films and magazines; live performances! Once she'd started going on patrol, she'd seen it done by humans a lot; in alleyways, on the roofs, in the city parks, just about wherever they thought they'd be unobserved. (Humans who weren't part of the clan just didn't look up that often; that was a fact. According to patrol gossip, some humans hadn't even noticed when Etienne had held up score cards rating their performance!) So she knew what went where, too… and there had been times when, while watching in fascination, she'd lightly fingered and used her tail-tip on herself… but tonight would be a whole new experience.

"So, uh…" Lexington started to reach for her breast, then clearly hesitated… then shook his head and laughed at himself. "This is silly. If we'd had a regular mating flight, we'd already be _done_ and heading back to the clan for the feast, but now I don't know where to start! And here I thought it'd be easier this way!"

"Well, uh, I don't mind it being on the ground for our first time," Rebecca said timidly. "Maybe this way it won't hurt?"

Lexington gave her a startled look. "It _hurts_ you, when it's in midair?"

"For that first mating flight, anyway," Rebecca admitted. "At least, that's what Ursula and the other elder females told us girls when we were of age to start choosing mates."

"But I thought—I thought only human females had that 'hymen' thing inside them as virgins! I remember another hatchling asking that of an elder back in the old clan, after we overheard some humans that were all outraged because some noble woman hadn't had a whole hymen on her wedding night, and she hadn't bled on the sheets. The elder said that was strictly a human thing!"

"It is, but that's not what I'm talking about." Rebecca rubbed her beak in agitation. "Jeez, I can't believe I'm really saying this, it's supposed to be only between females! But, well… It just takes females longer to really get ready for sex than it does males, okay? And on the first mating flight, well, by the time the male catches the female, he's always ready for sex… even if she isn't quite ready yet. And when we're not all hot-n-wet-n-ready for it, well, having something shoved up inside you for the first time…"

"Ouch," Lexington said with a sympathetic wince of understanding. "_Bad_ friction. So _that's _why some of the females in the old clan screamed right after they were caught…"

"Yeah," Rebecca unhappily agreed. "It's supposed to be different for the Breeding Moon; we're supposed to wake up ready for sex as soon as we shake the stone off. But when we're not in heat, well… Ursula told all of us to be sure to um, get ourselves all hot-and-wet with our tails under our wedding gowns before we take them off for the flight, but with everything that's happened tonight—and happened so _fast_, I didn't even think of it until we were launching off the roof!"

"So it's actually a good thing we didn't have a regular mating flight," Lexington said somberly. "Because I really don't want to hurt you at all, Becca."

"Thanks." Rebecca squeezed his hand in gratitude, and he squeezed back affectionately, and used his free hand to rub her brow ridges as well.

And so, as Robert had advised them, they took it slow and asked each other what they liked. Rebecca happily told him that it felt very nice when he first fondled, then licked and sucked on her breasts… and yes, it also felt very nice when he circled behind her and caressed between her wings joints, stroking down her crewenn.

Then she circled behind him, and lightly ran her hand down the middle of his back. "And you like this too, don't you?" she said slyly.

But he craned his neck around to look at her with a rueful smile as he said "Yes, but not as much as you probably think. With a web-wing, well, there's no crewenn back there to speak of. Don't get me wrong, it still feels nice, but no more than when you'd been rubbing my shoulders last night."

"Oh." Rebecca was startled, and a little dismayed. All the older females had said that both males and females had that sensitive spot, and that rubbing there would be _guaranteed_ to please her male, but… now what could she do?

Well, there was one thing she knew for sure that he'd like! She hadn't been planning to do it yet, but she went around to his front again and dropped to her knees while he was saying, "There're still some sensitive areas back there, though; _everyone_ has that spot right above the tail, and--_whoah_!" That last came out at a slightly higher pitch, as she grasped at his dick—no longer completely limp, but not really erect yet either—and lifted it up, towards her beak. And when she stuck her tongue out to flick across the tip, his voice went a full octave higher. "_Becca_!"

"I'm pretty sure you'll like this," she said with a grin, before giving Lexington what is commonly referred to as a 'blow job'.

Beaked gargoyles have an advantage over regular, more human-faced gargoyles; they can take a lot more into their mouths without gagging. Rebecca found pleasuring Lex in this way so easy, and getting such an enthusiastic response from him, that she did it just a little too long and too well… and ended up getting a salty liquid spilled down her throat.

When Rebecca stood up, Lexington was still panting, and red-faced with embarrassment. "Becca, I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to… but by the Dragon, that was _incredible_! I, you… _**wow**_!"

"Well, I'm glad you liked it," she said wryly.

"Honeysweet, I _loved_ it!" Lexington said fervently.

Honeysweet. He'd called her honeysweet, a pet name! Rebecca grinned with delight, even as she turned towards the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Lex said, grabbing her arm and looking concerned.

"Um… that sorta finished things for a while, didn't it?" she pointed out. "I know for a fact, there's no such thing as multiple orgasms for males."

"Well, no, but it doesn't take that long for us to- to recharge, either! And now I think that what happened was a good thing, really," he said as he drew her close again. "Because while we're waiting for me to be ready for sex again… we can make sure you're really, _really_ ready for it…"

And he did. Lexington gave new meaning to the phrase from the 70's song "I want to love you all over" as he explored and licked and caressed her everywhere, from lightly nibbling the tips of her ears to licking inside the high arches of her feet and sucking on her tail-tip. And then he went back and paid more attention to the places where he'd gotten the most reaction from her… _much_ more attention…

And by the time he was ready for sex again, she was _more_ than ready. And soon after he finally entered her, their combined shrieks and roars of ecstasy nearly blew the roof off the cottage.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

Out in the kitchen and sitting at the table, Robert flicked an ear at the sounds coming from the bedroom, and grinned to himself. It sounded like Lexington and Rebecca had shifted from 'slow and easy' to 'hot and heavy' already. Progressing a little faster than he'd thought they would, considering their virginity and how embarrassing it must have been for Lexington when he'd come so fast the first time, after they'd barely gotten started. (Robert knew a roar of climax when he heard one, and there hadn't been even a peep out of Becca, so chances were good that Lex had come right in her hands or mouth, during foreplay.)

But upon further consideration, their virginity was probably the biggest reason why they were rushing headlong now. His and Philip's first few times had also been rushed, once they'd gotten past the initial awkwardness of learning each other's bodies. It was probably a universal truth, that first sex was always rushed; it took either experience or an iron will to get the control needed to really go slow and sweet all the way.

Lexington gave a particularly loud snarl of excitement; not another roar of climax yet, but Robert figured it wouldn't be much longer. He wondered what Lex had just done, or had done to him, to bring out that particular sound… then looked in chagrin down at himself; his dick had popped out again. 'Red Robbie', Philip's pet name for his penis, was ready for action at the mere _thought_ of pleasuring Lexington.

With a grimace and some effort, he pulled his dick back inside. Red Robbie would have to wait; this was _Rebecca's_ night. Even if they were in there romping till dawn, he wouldn't intrude unless invited in. (Invited in, that was such a delightful thought… no, dammit, get that dick back inside!) He knew full well that it was only by the grace of God or the Dragon—the Dragon, most likely, given the whole situation—that he was even in the cottage at all.

Two hours ago Robert had been one absolutely miserable gargoyle, wishing that he'd never been hatched; wondering how soon he could escape from the condemning eyes of the assembly and leave the clan, and maybe even this life, forever.

It had been hard enough two weeks ago when he'd realized that he was attracted to Lexington—Lexington, his beloved Rebecca's fiancé! He'd tried hard to tell himself that it was just jealousy or something, like wanting a toy that someone else was playing with. That the smiles he was getting really meant nothing; clearly hetero Lexington was just being friendly to his fiancée's best friend, that's all. And that Lexington would probably be dismayed or even horrified if he ever learned or Robert's secret fantasies; what he wanted to do to Lex and with him.

But then he'd gotten temporarily banished for attacking Marie (and he was still convinced that was justified; the bitch had been going to drug Brooklyn, he knew it as sure as sunrise!) and both Rebecca and Lexington had followed him into the bayou. And he'd realized, with both delight and dismay, that Lexington was definitely attracted to him too. Delight because he had been so lonely for male companionship since Philip had died… But far more dismay, because Lexington was already taken! Lexington had already chosen Rebecca, and made Robert's closest friend so very happy; how could he possibly get in the way of that? Only the most selfish, rotten-to-the-core bastard would even think for a second of stealing away his best friend's mate-to-be!

Those eight nights in the bayou had been slow torture; so close to Lexington, and so aware of the threat he himself had become to sweet Becca's happiness. And whenever Rebecca asked what was wrong, he'd had to pretend everything was fine… how could he have told her?

Once their temporary exile was over and they were back on the estate, Robert had tried to bury himself in his art and avoid Lexington entirely. So naturally, Rebecca had decided to _force_ the two of them to spend more time together, and locked them in that room to confront each other.

So confront Lex he had; told him flat-out that he was very attracted to him, physically and emotionally, but bound and determined that nothing would ever come of it. Rebecca needed a mate, _deserved_ a mate, and the clans needed the egg she and Lexington would breed together. So instead of coming to Manhattan with them and facing such terrible temptation on a nightly basis, Robert would stay behind in New Orleans.

Lexington had glumly agreed it was the best course of action, but begged him for one hug and kiss to remember him by. And how could he have denied that request? It would be just one bittersweet memory to add to the treasurehouse in his mind, where he kept all his memories of Philip. Just once wouldn't hurt…

Except that Rebecca had walked in on them, and shortly thereafter all Hell had broken loose.

The nightmare had seemed to last for several nights, but he realized now that it had been less than an hour; less than an hour of facing the condemnation of his entire clan, before Goliath had stepped in and come to his rescue. Before Rebecca and Lexington had agreed to include Robert in their mating; to become an official _ménage a trois_, like the trio in Angela's old clan.

The next half-hour had been like a whirlwind, chaotic… but a far better chaos than he'd faced in the assembly. And then suddenly he'd been standing in front of another assembly, but standing with Lexington and Rebeeca, making vows with them. The vow he'd spoken aloud, for Goliath's benefit… and the vow he'd made in his heart, that he'd do his utmost to make sure Rebecca and Lexington never regretted including him in their lives.

And now he was sitting at the kitchen table with the pencil and notepad he'd scrounged from the cottage's supplies, sketching while listening to Rebecca and Lexington. Sketching out a rough of a portrait he planned to do, a portrait of the three of them together; Erasmus had taken pictures, but Robert wanted to do a proper painting, as a gift for his beloveds.

He was interrupted by a quick, quiet knocking at the cottage door; the sort of _pro forma_ knock that's done by someone who doesn't actually want to be heard by the occupants. Curious, he pulled his shorts back on, went over and opened the door a crack, to see Martha and Broadway just turning away after setting down two covered trays in front of the door.

They'd brought food for the honeymooners! That was so thoughtful of them. Robert softly called out his thanks, and they turned back, startled to see him there. "We, uh, didn't mean to interrupt you guys," Broadway stammered.

"It's okay, you didn't interrupt me," Robert assured them. Then he paused as they all clearly heard Rebecca shriek with ecstasy, the sound echoing out of the bedroom… followed a bare second later by Lexington's roar of climax. Robert added with a smile, "And you didn't interrupt them, either."

Both Broadway and Martha blushed. But before they could get away, Robert asked Martha a favor. "Would you go to my art studio and get something for me? …Two things, actually. My portable painting kit, and a small red box you'll find sitting on the top shelf in the corner."

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

Inside the bedroom, Rebecca and Lexington were lying in each other's arms and happily basking in afterglow. "That was so… wow," was all Lexington could say.

"Even better than the first time?" Rebecca dared to ask.

"Yeah! I mean, I _loved_ that blow job, it was fantastic; but when I was inside, and got you to cum, it felt… _**wow**_!" was again all Lexington could say.

There was a polite knock on the door, and then Robert poked his head inside with a smile. "Wanna come see our wedding cake?"

"A wedding cake, really?" Curious, Rebecca and Lex went out to the kitchen to see the cake sitting on the table. It was nothing fancy; a far cry from typical wedding cakes. Just a rectangular one-layer cake covered with thick white frosting; frosting that had melted a bit in the center, indicating that it had been frosted before completely cooling. But someone had painstakingly written "CONGRATULATIONS" and all three of their names in blue icing on the top, and decorated it with little pink frosting-flowers.

"Martha must have just made it; that's so sweet of her!" Rebecca said with a smile.

"But that's Broadway's block lettering; he must have had a hand in it too," Lex said as he pointed to the letters with a grin. "So, do we have a knife for cutting it?"

Robert had already rummaged in the kitchen drawers and found a big carving knife; the knife with the largest grip available. It took a little awkward maneuvering to get all three of them holding it for the symbolic first slice, but they managed to cut off a small corner square.

Lexington and Robert both agreed that the first piece should go to Rebecca, and she obligingly opened her beak wide so they'd have no problem feeding it to her by hand. And she insisted that Robert have the next piece, so he opened wide while she and Lexington fumbled to pick another piece up together and stuff it into his mouth… but he couldn't open his mouth nearly as wide as Rebecca could, and they ended up smearing a bit of frosting on his muzzle. Rebecca and Lexington both giggled as he tried to look at the white smear and extended his long tongue to lick it away.

Then Lexington got the third piece, and Rebecca and Robert ended up getting frosting on his face, too. All over his face, as it turned out; Rebecca giggled and impulsively swiped her finger alongside the cake, getting a big glob of frosting that she used to decorate his nose, chin and cheeks while he was still trying to lick the frosting off his lips. "Very funny," he grumbled, though he couldn't quite stop smiling. "Now how am I going to get clean?"

"Like this," Robert said unexpectedly, leaning forward as his long tongue came out to _lick_ the frosting off the left side of Lex's face. After that first big, wet swipe, he pulled back in embarrassment. "Sorry, it was an impulse…"

"A _nice_ impulse," Lexington assured him, after his momentary startled reaction subsided.

"A _good_ impulse," Rebecca chimed in as she leaned forward, and licked frosting off Lex's other cheek with her equally long tongue.

Lex smiled a slow and sly smile. "You know, I don't feel quite clean yet. I think there's some left on both sides…"

So they licked him some more, loving licks that went from his face down his neck to his shoulders. Robert delicately nibbled at his shoulder with his velvet-soft and highly mobile lips, and Rebecca danced her tongue down his arm to lovingly suck on his fingers, while he shuddered with pleasure.

But before she could go further, he reached over to the cake with his free hand and brought away two fingers liberally coated with frosting, which he ran across Rebecca's chest as he said lightly, "Why, Rebecca, just look at the mess on you!"

Smiling, Rebecca stood up again and let him decorate her torso with frosting, running streaks down each breast and lightly tipping her with white globs of sweetness. Lexington tsked, "Goodness, you've just got it all over you, such a mess…" Then he looked at Robert with a sly grin. "What do you think, will it take both of us working to get her clean again?"

Startled but hopeful, Rebecca looked at Robert. "Rob?"

After glancing at Lexington for a moment, to make sure he'd really meant what he was suggesting, Robert took her hand and looked seriously into her eyes as he said, "I can't give you everything Lex can, Becca… but I can help him give you pleasure, if you'd like."

"Oh, I'd like!" Rebecca said quickly, with growing excitement.

So the two males worked on her together; stroking here, licking there, and even if Robert wasn't getting all excited by what he was doing, he put love and affection into every touch. But Lexington was sure getting turned on by it, though not as much as Rebecca herself was enjoying it… By the time they moved from the kitchen to the bedroom, she was more than ready for sex again.

And as she and Lexington coupled in passion, Robert watched and stroked himself… and while Rebecca knew that it was Lexington more than herself that was exciting him, she still rejoiced in his pleasure when he came soon after they did. It was one more way they could be together.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

Afterwards, they all went out into the kitchen to eat; in addition to the wedding cake, Martha and Broadway had put together a cold feast for them. Grilled chicken strips, crackers, cubes of cheese, grapes and other finger foods; food they could lovingly feed to each other without worrying about poking cheeks with forks or dribbling from spoons.

While they were eating, there was a knock at the door and Martha called through it, "Just me, leaving the stuff Robert requested outside! And a few other things I thought you might want later; bye!" And Martha hurried away before Robert could find his shorts again so he could open the door and thank her.

Robert brought everything inside, and they discovered that the 'other things' consisted of all the clothes they'd left in Yvette's tailoring workshop, and a thick book of crossword puzzles and other word games. Robert set the portable painting kit that Martha had brought to one side for the moment, and would have set the red shoebox to one side as well, if Rebecca hadn't pointed to it with an impish smile. "Aren't you glad now that I wouldn't let you burn that?"

"What's in there?" Lexington asked, curious.

"…Souvenirs from Philip's place," Robert said quietly, lightly touching the box.

Rebecca looked somberly at Lexington as she explained, "Two nights after Philip died, I went with Rob back to their house, so he could retrieve some stuff before the place was cleared out by Philip's cousins. He got this and a couple of shirts, while I swept up all the gravel in the attic."

"Becca insisted that we have something to burn in ceremony, since I couldn't go to the funeral," Robert said quietly, still looking at the box. "But she only let me burn one of the shirts at the clan's farewell ceremony; she put the other shirt, and this, on a shelf in my studio and said I couldn't touch them until I was ready to be happy again." He looked up at Lexington with a shy smile as he said, "I think I'm ready now."

"Glad to hear it," Lexington smiled back. "But what's in the box?"

"Oh, just some stuff for later… maybe tomorrow," Robert said lightly, and would have pushed the box aside, if Rebecca hadn't leaned over to kiss him and said softly, "It's your turn, Rob; open the box."

"Becca, this is _your_ special night," Robert tried to insist again, but she shook her head with a smile. She said, "It's _our_ night, and besides, I've already had two—no, _three_ orgasms, and I thought I was going to die from that last one! I think I need a cooling-off period! C'mon, open the box."

So he did. By that time Lexington had already guessed what was inside, but he still blinked and stared when Robert took the lid off, to reveal: a tube of Astroglide and some anal sex toys… as well as three long blue tubes of rubber that were sealed at one end. He pointed to them and asked, "What're those?"

"Safety caps for these; I cut them off of an industrial-strength glove," Robert said as he wriggled the talons of one hand in the air. "Some flesh is just too tender for risking talons on… Lex, I said I'm ready for this, but are _you_? Honestly, I can wait until later if you're not ready…"

Lexington grinned as he picked up the box from the table. "Oh, I'm ready. In fact, I think I'm ready right now!" as he turned towards the bedroom. "You coming too, Becca?"

Smiling, Rebecca shook her head. "No, I'll be sitting this one out. Since Martha thoughtfully provided us with something for intellectual play, too," as she picked up the book of word puzzles. "I'll save you some crossword puzzles, Rob. Now go on, enjoy yourselves!"

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

"Love you, Becca," Robert said, giving her a swift and affectionate kiss before getting up to follow Lexington into the bedroom. Rebecca smiled at them, and kept up her smile, until the bedroom door swung closed again. Then she rested her beak in her hand and sighed, still staring at the door.

Rebecca normally didn't do introspection, as had been pointed out to her more than once. She preferred to act and react on impulse, doing whatever was needed to deal with the situation in front of her, whether it was a mugger on patrol or someone being nasty to Robert or a videogame challenging her to master it. And she normally got away with it, doing just fine with acting on impulse, because she knew that Robert always had her back; would defend her from anything just as she defended him.

But things were different now. Robert would still have her back, but now Lex had been added to the relationship… and there would be times when Lex needed help, and times when Robert would look to him and Lex would look to her, and… She decided that some introspection right now would be a good idea.

Specifically, she thought that she'd better figure out exactly why she really wasn't that happy about Robert and Lexington being in the bedroom together.

After some thought, she decided that part of it was that she was a little jealous of Lexington spending time alone with Robert, instead of her. She'd been overjoyed when Lexington had proposed to her; finally, she had a mate of her very own, a mate all to herself! And now he wasn't just hers anymore.

But that jealousy, now that she held it up to the moonlight for a better look at it, subsided and shrunk away. Rob's actions during their last sexplay and Lex's words just moments ago, inviting her into the bedroom, told her that they'd probably always be willing to let her join in their loving moments… or at least a lot of the time, anyway. She hadn't lost Lex as a mate; she'd gained Robert as a co-mate, and what could be better than that?

After further thought, she decided that another part of her unhappiness was uneasiness with Lex's behavior. She was familiar with homosexuality, from dealing with Robert and with Philip, but she'd never encountered a bisexual before, and until just a few hours ago she'd thought Lexington was strictly hetero, like she was; the revelation of his bisexuality had been a helluva shock, the biggest of the night, and she supposed it hadn't quite sunk in yet.

Well, that was just something she'd have to get used to, that's all. Robert had definitely accepted it already… and hadn't Elizabeth and all the older mated females warned her that she would discover at least one unpleasant surprise about her mate after they got mated? This was better than finding out Lex had a secret drinking problem, or liked to hurt her while getting his kicks, or other unpleasant surprises she could imagine.

And after thinking a while longer, she ruefully admitted that the last part of her slight unhappiness was the thought that once again, Robert would be putting that big, lovely red dick… into someone else, not her. Because as much as she loved him, and as much as he loved her, she just didn't excite him at all.

She'd thought she'd resigned herself to that situation years ago, after that night deep in the bayou…

That night, two years after Robert had secretly confessed to Rebecca that the reason he wasn't courting her wasn't because Marie, who was still stalking him and laying claim whenever any other female even looked at him, would rip her to shreds if she thought Rebecca was trying to steal him from her. No, it was because, as much as he liked her, he wasn't attracted to her… _or_ to Marie. Instead, he was attracted to Adelbert and Thomas… who had shown no interest in him at all beyond brotherly friendship.

Six months after Robert had finally gotten Marie off his trail by publicly humiliating her at a fais-do-do. Two months after the last of their rookery brothers had become mated to their sisters, leaving Robert and Rebecca among the six still single.

One week after the elder Barnabas had point-blank asked Robert which female he was going to court… and when Robert had told him the truth, had harshly ordered the young male to get out of his sight and to never come within six wingspans of him again.

With Rebecca facing life without a mate, and with Robert facing not only that but condemnation from far too many clan members, Rebecca had asked him if they could at least _try_ to become mates.

She'd told him that even if he thought that having sex with her just wasn't much fun, if they could just get each other's bonding scents, that would probably satisfy the clan and stop all those mutters and even outbursts of disapproval. And afterwards, they'd just be best friends like they already were; best friends who happened to be mates, with an appointment to have sex again during the Breeding Moon.

(She'd told him that, about not planning to have sex with him more than just the once, and during breeding seasons… but she hadn't meant it. She'd harbored a secret hope that once they were bonded mates, Robert would find himself attracted to her, and they'd become true mates in every way. She'd hoped…)

Since Joan and Adelbert had eloped into the bayou and the clan had accepted their mating with only a few grumbles, Robert had decided it would be better if they 'eloped', too; had sex with each other in the bayou and made sure they'd acquired each other's bonding scents before declaring to anyone that they were mates. Rebecca had readily agreed, and off they'd gone, to find a nice secluded spot where no one was apt to stumble upon and interrupt them. And once they'd found a good secluded spot, they'd taken off their clothes and caressed each other, murmuring how much they loved each other and wanted this to work…

And it hadn't worked. Robert had readily extended his dick for her, but no matter how much she'd stroked it and licked his crewenn and done all those things she'd seen Joan do to Adelbert while spying on them one night, she'd never gotten more than a half-hearted rise out of it. Finally, in sheer desperation, she'd knelt down to try that 'blow job' thing she'd heard some washroom gossip about.

That had gotten a reaction, at least! Robert had gasped when she'd enveloped his dick with her mouth, asked her to stop, then begged her for more… and his member had gotten even bigger, hotter and harder for her… but as soon as she'd stopped sucking on him, he'd gone limp again.

Robert had been almost in tears as he'd finally told her that it just wouldn't work; not that night, and not ever. He'd been trying to hang onto the sexual fantasy of a male performing sex acts on him, in order to perform for her, but every time he'd opened his eyes and seen her boobs and her lack of a dick or balls… and even when keeping his eyes closed, he'd still kept scenting her feminine musk… and she just hadn't smelled right, to his nose. He'd been sorry, so very sorry, but it wasn't going to work.

And that was the last time she'd even mentioned the idea of being mates with him, until tonight. In between then and now, Robert had found happiness with Philip, and Rebecca had been genuinely happy for them both. Yes, she'd had the occasional wistful twinge, but she'd always been able to suppress it and go on being happy for them. She'd never really been jealous of Philip; how could she have been? Philip had happily called her his 'little sister', admired her singing voice, said she could perch at their place any time, and had even bought little trinkets for her sometimes… Philip had been great, the best thing ever to happen to Robert, and she'd made a point of telling them so. She hadn't been jealous…

But then, she'd never watched them having sex, either. Tonight was the first time in years that she'd seen Robert erect, and he'd been erect while she was having sex, and for just a moment… just for a moment… she'd thought that his erection was for her. But then she'd looked at what he'd been gazing at while breathing so hard… and it had been Lexington's erection, not her at all. She'd almost cried, she'd been so disappointed for just that moment. Then he'd started stroking himself, and when Lexington had timed his own thrusts to those strokes, it had been so easy to pretend that the glorious sight she was seeing was actually inside her instead; that thought had been what had triggered her first orgasm in that three-way romp.

Well, continually looking at it without ever actually feeling it inside her, was just something else she'd have to accept and get used to. And she was almost over it already, really. She was feeling a lot better overall, now that she'd thought through her reaction to Lex and Robert being alone together. All that remained was getting used to Lex's bisexuality, and that probably wouldn't take long with such continual exposure; she thought that in another week or two, she'd be teasingly asking him which male movie stars he thought were hot, like she teased Robert sometimes.

She glanced at the closed bedroom door again, and whispered "Have fun, you two," before leaning with a smile over a crossword puzzle. So, what was a six-letter word for 'sea'?

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

Once Robert closed the door and they were alone in the bedroom, Lexington paused and gave a nervous laugh. "You know, with us never even _talking _about what we felt for each other until tonight… I don't even know whether you, uh, do top or bottom!"

"I prefer bottom, but I like it either way, and Philip and I took turns," Robert said, as matter-of-factly as if they were discussing color preferences. "And you?"

"Um, top, I guess, but I really want to try both," he said, feeling both sheepish and eager at the same time.

"Then I'll be bottom for your first time," Robert said, bestowing a kiss on Lexington's cheek. "And we'll take it slow and sweet."

And they did. They pleasured each other slowly, with hands and tongues, and then Robert slowly coached Lexington through the preparations for pain-free anal sex… and when they finally coupled as one, it was wonderful. Afterwards they lay on the bed together, basking in afterglow, lightly stroking each other's arms and flanks in affection.

And then Lexington lightly stroked Robert's member, no longer erect but still lying out on the sheets instead of drawn back inside, and whispered, "I want to feel that inside me."

Startled, Robert got up on one elbow to look at him. "Lex, are you sure? There's no rush for this… and frankly, I'm a lot for a virgin ass to handle. I don't mind waiting till some other night, really."

"But I don't want to wait," Lex said firmly. "I've been—what's the word, de-virgined? Two different ways tonight, but I want it to happen in every way."

"The word is 'deflowered'," Robert chuckled. "Well, all right, if you're sure… I have to admit, I've been thinking about what you keep under your loincloth for weeks now!"

Robert made sure to take this second time that was also Lexington's first time, even slower and sweeter than before; taking extra care with his virgin lover.

And when it finally happened, there was some pain, as happens with virgins... but Robert was patient and waited until Lexington was ready for more, and then it was all pleasure. Such sweet pleasure, Lexington could barely stand it, and in the instant that Robert had his third orgasm that night, Lexington had his fifth. While they were recovering afterwards, Robert breathlessly told him that count was pretty impressive for a recent virgin!

00oo00oo00oo00oo00

After the two males could get on their feet again, they went out to join Rebecca at the kitchen table to replenish some of the calories they'd spent. Spent in the most delightful way Lex could think of; sex was _great_, even better than he'd thought it would be! He'd jerked off plenty of times before, stroking his dick with his hands and sometimes oiling up his tail-tip for self-exploration, and all those times had been pleasurable… but actually having sex with someone who loved him and wanted him was ten times better!

This was the happiest night of his life, no doubt about it. He'd started out the night in misery, knowing that he and Robert could never be together; he'd promised himself to Rebecca, whom he also loved, and he couldn't break that promise. And now… he was mated to both his loves! It was every bisexual's fantasy, to have both a male and a female for lovers, but he'd never actually thought it would come true. Life just couldn't get any better than this!

Well, it would be a bit better if their union was accepted by all. He knew that once they returned to Manhattan, he'd have to avoid public displays of action with his mates… or at least with Robert, but it would be wrong to ignore Robert in favor of Rebecca, so he'd just have to be extremely careful with both of them when they were in public.

The clan was fighting for general acceptance as a fellow sentient species, and their only allies were Matt Bluestone, Xanatos, the people in the Labyrinth, Macbeth and the P.I.T. He had no idea what any of them thought of homosexuality, let alone bisexuality, or how they would react to discovering his being bisexual and mated to two at once. But he knew that the clan couldn't afford to jeopardize those alliances. And considering how controversial this particular issue could be, with Robert and Rebecca's own hatching-clan having had fangs and talons out in that assembly…

Avoiding PDA's in public shouldn't be too big a problem; they didn't really make that many public appearances anyway. The real problem was that even when they were in the privacy of the castle, they'd still have the castle's legal owner to deal with... Xanatos.

It would absolutely suck gravel if Xanatos got all prudish and wouldn't allow Robert to stay in the castle, because then Lexington would have to move his trio into a new home. But maybe Elisa would let them stay at her place; she knew about his bisexuality after catching him with those porn magazines last year, and she'd been okay with it, so she'd probably be okay with his having two mates… Well, he'd glide those air currents when he got there; tonight wasn't a night for worrying about the future back in Manhattan.

While they were eating and while Robert was helping Rebecca with a couple of difficult words in a crossword puzzle, Lexington finally got up the nerve to say something he'd been wondering about for weeks. "Since we're all three mates, we should all be honest with each other... completely honest. So tell me, honestly... did you two ever try to make love together?"

Rebecca blushed but nodded jerkily, while Robert's nod was slow and sorrowful. He told Lex, "We tried, once, years before I met Philip... but it just didn't work. Becca even went down on me and gave one helluva blowjob, but... she just didn't _smell_ right, to my nose. I'm only turned on by males, and as soon as she stopped sucking, I went limp. It was embarrassing for both of us, so can we change the subject?"

Lex nodded. "I figured you had tried at least once, considering how much your clan had been leaning on you to at least act hetero. And just between us, I'm glad it didn't work, because then I wouldn't be mated to you both now," as he reached for them both, and drew them into another three-way hug that they gladly returned.

And that was all he said to them, but inside he wondered about bonding scents. He was sure that after their actions tonight, he and Rebecca would be bonded to each other… and he and Robert would be bonded to each other. But would Rebecca and Robert be bonded to each other as well, with him as… well, as a go-between, carrying scent-markers between them? Would that work? He really wanted there to be no doubt in anyone's eyes or noses that the three of them were as one…

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

After eating, Lexington got a sly look in his eyes, and told Robert he wanted him in the bedroom again. "…Going for _**six**_ orgasms in one night?" Robert stared at Lex in amazement, even as he got up from his chair. "Damn, you have _stamina_!"

Since Lex hadn't specifically invited her in too, Rebecca said nothing and stayed in the kitchen, but looked worriedly at the closed bedroom door. Was Lexington already preferring sex with Robert over sex with her? Dammit, she was trying not to be jealous…

But after they'd been in there only a couple minutes, the door opened, and Lexington silently stepped out. He rushed over to where she was sitting and whispered to her with an air of excitement, "I think I know how to get Robert's bond-scent on you for sure. C'mon, follow me, but quietly!" as he grabbed a dishtowel from the kitchenette before heading back into the bedroom. Curious and hopeful, she followed him back inside.

Robert was standing in at the foot of the bed with a strip of sheeting tied over his eyes for a blindfold, commenting, "You know, Philip and I were together for two years before we started doing the kinky stuff."

"If it's too much for you, you can take the blindfold off," Lexington assured him. "Seriously, is this too much for you, or too soon?"

"I'm fine. But don't pull this stuff with Becca yet, okay? I'm pretty sure she's nowhere near ready for it," Robert said seriously; it was obvious that he had no idea she was in the room.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything she's not ready for," Lexington said with a smile, before taking one of Robert's hands and gently pushing it behind his back. "Now… can you handle trusting me a little bit more?"

"Um… no handcuffs, sorry. That's more than I'm ready for," Robert said firmly as he held his other hand up in a negating gesture

"Okay, no handcuffs," Lex immediately agreed. "There aren't any in here anyway; Elisa probably took hers with her. But how about a dishtowel?" as he dropped the terrycloth towel over Robert's raised hand. "You just hold this dishtowel behind your back with both hands, and don't let go of it. You're not bound by anything except your own choice; is that okay?"

Robert smiled. "Okay, I can do that." And he took the terrycloth towel behind his back and gripped it with both hands.

"Okay. So now you can't see anything, you can't touch anything with your hands, annnnnnd…" as Lexington clambered onto the bed for a moment, then jumped back off with some gray-white fluid on his fingers. Rebecca realized it was cum, either Lexington or Robert's own spilled semen, just as Lexington gleefully rubbed it across Robert's nostrils, saying "And now you can't smell anything, either."

"Hey!" Robert jerked his equine head back, and almost let go of the dishtowel. "_Not_ liking that one!"

"Sorry!" Lex apologized. "But it's necessary, for the game we're about to play."

Robert's voice was somewhat wary. "And this game would be…"

"A guessing game," Lexington said as he beckoned Rebecca closer, with a grin. "Now you have to guess where you're going to be touched next… and who's touching you!"

"Who's touch—Becca's in here too?" Robert was startled.

"Yep, I'm here," Rebecca said gleefully, having just figured out Lex's intentions. "And I think this could be fun!"

"Well then," Robert said with a smile, relaxing again. "Let the fun begin…"

And Rebecca joined Lexington in caressing Robert all over, just light caresses at first, while Robert guessed aloud who was touching him and where. Some guesses were right, and some were wrong, and after a while they stopped correcting him, and left him guessing. Guessing while they touched him more intensely, with more passion, and soon Robert stopped guessing aloud, and just waited with breathless anticipation for the next touch. He no longer cared who was touching him, so long as it felt good! And with his eyes covered and his nose fooled, when he finally felt something hot and slick and tight around his member, it was easy for him to pretend that it was Lexington beneath him, as he shouted and shuddered in orgasm.

But it was Rebecca, and after shuddering into her for long moments, Robert collapsed atop her, and Rebecca flopped down onto the mattress, turning her face to one side so she could breathe. Lexington chuckled as he lay down on the mattress beside them.

After a few moments more of just lying there on top of her, still lodged partly inside her, Robert reached up to rip off the blindfold and looked wryly down at her. "Hi, Becca."

"Hi, yourself," she said coyly.

He grinned at her as he rolled off so she could breathe easier. "We finally did it, huh? With a little help," as he looked over at Lexington. "I don't believe I've ever thanked someone for tricking me before…"

Lexington chuckled again. "It was my pleasure," he assured them. And moments later, sunrise overtook them all, still lying on the bed.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

The next evening, after stripping the bed and shaking the sheets out to get all the gravel out of them, they indulged in some grooming. Robert's comb had been in the pocket of his shorts, and Rebecca had found another comb in the bathroom, so Robert lovingly combed and caressed Rebecca's mane while Lexington just as lovingly combed Robert's tail.

While combing the thick black tail hairs with long, loving strokes, Lexington asked with a teasing smile, "Robert, would you mind it too terribly if I called you 'my pretty pony'?"

"Oh hell, might as well; Becca's been calling me that since those stupid toys came out back in the 80's," Robert said with a snort. "She even got Philip to call me that—for which I still owe you some payback, Becca."

"Hey, at least we never said 'my _little_ pony'," she retorted with a smile.

"Damn right, 'cause I'm a _big_ pony," he said, leering playfully at them both. A statement with which they had to agree.

Lexington finished combing out Robert's tail, then picked up the black ribbons he'd taken off before combing and started to tie them back into place. Robert paused in his combing of Rebecca's hair to watch Lexington's work, and Rebecca twisted around to see why he'd stopped. Seeing the ribbons in Lexington's hands—the ribbons she herself had tied in Robert's tail, last spring—Rebecca suggested hesitantly, "Maybe those aren't needed anymore?"

"Maybe not, but I won't be the one to take them off him forever," Lexington said firmly as he tied the ribbons back in place. He patted the ribbons while looking earnestly into Robert's eyes as he said, "I know what it's like to still mourn inside, even when you're smiling outside again. It may have been a thousand years ago to the rest of the world, but to me it's been less than three years since I lost most of my clan… including someone I'd been very close to, and had been working my nerve up to court properly. I've learned to live in the _now_ and look forward instead of back, but I'll never forget her, never really stop missing her and the rest of them, and I don't expect you to stop missing Philip."

Robert suddenly grabbed Lexington in a bear hug, shuddering and sniffling back tears, while Rebecca wrapped her arms and wings around them both. "It's okay," Lexington said softly as he hugged Robert back. "It's okay, you can let it out…"

And Robert _bawled_, huge tears spilling out of his eyes and down his blue, soft-haired cheeks, sobbing incoherently as they hugged him. And when he could manage words again, he choked out, "D-don't you leave me alone! Don't either of you _ever _leave me!"

"Never," Rebecca fervently swore, her own cheeks wet with tears. "We'll never leave you alone. We'll never leave you…"

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

Some time after Robert had dried his tears, when he felt like having fun again, Lexington asked if they could try something together. "It, um, you'd probably consider it on the kinky side, but I really want to try it. Please?"

"More kinky than what we did just before dawn?" Rebecca asked with a raised brow ridge. "Not that I'm complaining about that, mind you!"

Robert considered Lexington while thoughtfully tapping a finger against his muzzle… then smiled. "Let me guess… Hero Sandwich?"

"You guessed it," Lex said with a sheepish yet eager grin. "So, uh, you up for it?"

"If you're to be the Hero, then yeah, I think I'm up for it," as Robert's smile grew wider.

But Rebecca didn't understand at first. "Uh, guys, I checked yesterday; there's no bread in the pantry for sandwiches…Robert, why are you snickering?"

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

After they explained to her what a Hero Sandwich was, Rebecca agreed to try it.

And with Rebecca as the 'bottom slice', Lexington as the 'filling', and Robert as the 'top slice', it was a very tasty sandwich indeed.

For some time afterwards, the only thing anyone could say was "_**Wow**_."

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

Later on, Rebecca checked outside the cottage door, and discovered that Broadway and Martha had left more food for them. "Including bread and other sandwich fixings," she said with a chuckle as she brought the box inside.

After they'd made and eaten several sandwiches, Lexington got a sly smile, and instead of putting the mayonnaise jar in the icebox he held it up while musing, "How do you think this would work as a personal lubricant?"

Rebecca looked at him warily. "Um, Lex, are you trying to tell us you have a food fetish? The frosting yesterday was fun, but there are limits, y'know?"

"Edible lubricants are fine on the outside, but it's a mistake to use them internally," Robert said seriously. "That's just asking for bacterial and fungal infections in embarrassing places. No, I'm not speaking from personal experience, but just trust me on this, okay?"

"Okay; it was just a thought," Lexington shrugged as he put the jar away.

And afterwards, while they were working on a crossword puzzle together, Lexington had another thought. He said slyly, "You know, I don't think I've quite had my fill of sandwiches yet."

"There's still four slices of bread left; you could have—oh!" Rebecca said as she looked up from trying to puzzle out #7 down ("plant lore", nine letters, second letter is an 'e') to see Lex's expression. "You're not talking about the eating kind, are you?"

"Actually, some eating might be involved," Lexington said while waggling his brow ridges at her.

So they went back to the bedroom and romped again. But this time, Robert was astonished to find that Lexington intended him to be the 'filling'! Filling Rebecca… who was beautiful, and he loved her, but even as she was right then, naked and panting with eagerness, he just wasn't sexually attracted to her.

But then Lexington reminded him that when Robert was being filled by someone else, his pleasure showed in a big, red, unmistakable way… and that was something that Rebecca could greatly enjoy, if Robert would let her! So if Robert wanted to be filled by Lexington, then he had to do some filling too!

And to Robert's surprised pleasure, Lexington's idea worked exceedingly well.

When they were done and Robert came back to his senses, he was lying on the bed on top of Rebecca, still partly lodged inside her, while Lexington was draped limply over his back and still lodged inside him.

"Oof," Rebecca grunted, her head turned sideways with her beak pressed against the sheets, muffling her speech. "Bof' of you izh 'oo heavee…"

"Sorry," Lexington murmured as he slowly, sweetly withdrew and backed off so Robert could get up.

Once everyone had caught their breaths, Robert wagged a disapproving talon at Lexington. "That was not fair play, Lex. That was sexual blackmail!"

"Yes, it was," Rebecca agreed. "Can we do it again soon?"

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

They followed up their sexplay with more food, and more cooperation/friendly arguing over clues in crosswords and other word puzzles. And Robert asked Lexington and Rebecca if they'd mind posing for him, while he sketched them in charcoals from his portable art kit.

"What, in the nude?" Rebecca asked, startled and starting to cover herself with her wings at the very thought.

Actually, I meant in your regular clothes… though it would be nice to make a few pieces for our _private_ collection," he said with a wicked grin. "But really, I want to make a picture of you two. I'd been planning to make one for you anyway as a wedding gift, before we got banished together."

"Well, to be suitable now, it'd have to be one of the three of us all together," Lex said with a smile. "Ever included yourself in a portrait?"

Robert admitted, "Not till now, but it'd be interesting to try."

But in the meantime, there was another three-way style that Lexington wanted to try… and it worked for them all quite well. Lexington had an excellent imagination, and a positive talent for application.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

The next night, they did some more grooming. This time Lexington combed out Rebecca's coppery mane, while she lovingly combed Robert's tail. While combing and observing how Rebecca nearly purred with pleasure, Lexington said wistfully, "Gee, I wish I had hair on my head or tail."

"Hey, I sometimes wish I had your standard hairless tail," Robert said with a shrug. "I wouldn't fall out of trees nearly as often if I had a tail that could actually hang onto things." Then his ears twitched, before going flat against his skull. "Uh oh."

"What is it?" Lexington asked.

"Becca's humming," Robert said as he twisted around to stare at her, mixed wariness and amusement written on his equine features. "And that means she's got an idea… Rebecca, is this another _perfectly wonderful idea_? It can take _weeks_ for everyone to recover from those!"

Rebecca had indeed been humming, while reaching up and doing something with her hair on the side Lexington had already combed, but now she stopped humming and made a face at Robert. "Oh, hush! You make it sound like I'm the patron saint of disasters or something. And I was just thinking about Lex's wish, that's all. Lex, would you wear hair if someone gave it to you?"

"Huh? Like a wig?" As Lexington rubbed at his bald scalp in confusion. "Well, really, I probably wouldn't; I've been bald all my life, and I'm used to it. Besides, I don't think having a wig combed would feel the same for me as it does for you two. And actually, those kisses and licks you give on my scalp feel pretty nice… But now you've got me curious; what did you have in mind?"

"Well, instead of a wig, I was thinking of giving you a braid of my hair to wear as a sort-of necklace," Rebecca said as she showed him the braid she'd just been starting to make in her hair. "If you like the idea, that is…"

Lexington smiled. "Giving me part of yourself, to keep close to my heart forever? Yeah, I like it."

Then Rebecca suggested to Robert that perhaps it could be a braid of two different colors, copper and black… "If you're willing?" But Robert was already reaching back with a talon to carefully cut off some tail hairs.

As the only one with any experience in braiding, it fell to Rebecca to actually make the braid necklace, with three thin hanks of hair; one of copper-red from her mane, one of black from his tail, and one hank of both hairs intermixed. Then she and Robert together draped it around Lexington's neck, and tied the ends together with a few more strands of hair twisted into a primitive twine.

Then, at Robert's request, Rebecca showed Lexington how to make braids in the black mane running down Robert's long neck; starting just below his high ears, she made a thin braid to hang down one side, then coached Lexington in making one on the other side.

Then it was her turn to hold still as together, with great care and concentration, Lexington and Robert gave Rebecca two thin braids in her mane, to hang just in front of her ears. When they handed her a mirror after finishing, she tugged affectionately on each braid as she murmured, "Three into one…"

"Three into one," they agreed with smiles.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

And of course, there was more sex: They never tired of experimenting with ways in which all three of them could enjoy sex together. And when one of them was temporarily exhausted, he or she would watch in lazy satisfaction and occasionally lend a caress as the other two would couple in passion; Lexington with Robert or Lexington with Rebecca...

And finally, on the third night of their honeymoon, Robert with Rebecca; all he needed now in order to perform for her was to close his eyes, feel Lex's light stroking just above his tail and scent Lex's musk that permeated their love-nest. And at the moment of orgasm, Robert's eyes were open and gazing joyfully into Rebecca's as he surged into her, his co-mate; they had done what others had thought impossible, and all three had bonded together.

00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00

But no honeymoon lasts forever. Adam had given them only their wedding night and two more nights inside the cottage; on the fourth night, they knew they would have to leave it and rejoin the clans.

"Do you think folks will be a little less upset and more accepting of us now?" Rebecca asked while dressing, soon after they awoke at sunset on the fourth night.

"I hope so, but I'm really not counting on it," Robert said glumly, after pulling his habitual black shorts and blue tank top on.

"They'd damn well better be accepting," Lexington said firmly, while belting his loin cloth. "We've got each other's bond scents now, and nobody with a nose worth anything can argue with scent. And even if your clan—your _old_ clan—still has a problem with us, your new clan sure doesn't! You realized that Goliath formally welcomed you into the Manhattan clan during the ceremony, right?"

"That's right, he did; 'welcome addition to the Manhattan clan', those were his words," Robert said while thoughtfully combing his mane with his fingers. "I didn't even think of the implications until now."

"Me neither," Rebecca admitted as she finished tying her top on. Then she chuckled. "Two ceremonies rolled into one! That was a heckuva night!"

"Best night of my life," Lex said with a grin. "So anyway, any troubles from your old clan don't really matter anymore; my clan accepts you, every one of them!" Then his grin faltered a bit. "I just wish I could say the same about our allies back in Manhattan. Before we left, I never even found out how they feel about gays and bisexuals, let alone a three-way mating, a men--what's the phrase again?"

"A _ménage à trois,_" Robert informed him. His face went somber. "When I first agreed to come to Manhattan with Rebecca, you cautioned me about the anti-gay general populace up there, and I said I could be discreet about my orientation… but at the time, I didn't see myself ever falling in love again."

"Well… maybe by the time the folks up there are accepting of gargoyles, they'll be accepting of gays and bi's too!" Rebecca shrugged. Then she added with determined cheer, "Anything is possible!"

"Yeah, possible, somewhere far down the road… but in the meantime, I think we'd better be very discreet when we're interacting with your allies, the P.I.—what was that again, Lex?"

"P.I.T., the People for Interspecies Tolerance. And then there's Matt Bluestone, and Macbeth, Hudson's friend Jeffrey Robbins, the people in the Labyrinth, and of course the Xanatos family," Lexington recounted. "That's about all who's in our corner so far."

Robert said, "Then when we're around them, we'll have to pretend to be just good friends, until we know for sure how they'll react."

"Not just good friends; best friends," Rebecca said firmly, giving his hand a squeeze. "Three best friends… who just happen to enjoy wild-n-crazy sex whenever they can find some privacy."

"Around Macbeth and the P.I.T., and the other folks who don't live in the castle with us, yeah," Lexington said. "But I'm not going to live a lie inside our own castle! We'll have to let the Xanatos family know the truth about our relationship… and Matt Bluestone; he's so close he's almost clan now. Heck, Elisa might have told him about us already, since he's her partner on the police force, and Goliath has to have told her what happened by now."

"And if they don't accept us?" Robert asked grimly.

"Then we'll figure something out… We'll glide those air currents when we get to them," Lexington said firmly. "But I want you to know that I'm not going to let anybody, of any species, ever separate us."

"Me neither," Rebecca said, drawing both her males into a hug. "We're a _trio_, and we're going to stay that way!"

And the three who had become as one, went out into the world together.

THE END


End file.
